Suddenly and a little out of nowhere, Regina found herself thinking about all those English classes again. Famous passages read aloud that she’d disdained because she couldn’t understand them. He’s more myself than I am. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace. Mr. Henderson always made the same observation when he switched books: libraries were redundant. Full of stories, he’d say, trying to explain the same word. The one that had been haunting Regina since Rodrick had fallen into her life, not by chance but by intention. The one that was all she could feel now, inside and all around her. The one that had Rodrick’s face and voice. Her devotion to him had grown so big that Regina didn’t know what to do with it. It was already taking shape in other things as well, like branches of a tree. Desire, desperation. Different words that still sounded the same or at the very least felt very much alike. Rodrick parted his lips further, trying to deepen the kiss, but Regina stopped all of a sudden. She pulled back with a series of soft kisses against his mouth before restoring that unbearable distance between them. His body reacted immediately, like a magnet, only to halt just as quickly when she placed a hand against his chest. He glanced down at the spot where her hand pressed against him. "Don’t tease me," he murmured, fingers closing around her wrist. "Not tonight."
AYO ch23 is already out!!
